Democrats want troops out if goals unmet

(AP) Updated: 2007-03-02 09:28

WASHINGTON - House Democratic leaders have coalesced around legislation that
would require troops to come home from Iraq within six months if that country's
leaders fail to meet promises to help reduce violence there, party officials
said Thursday.

A US soldier looks through the scope of his rifle as he scans
a building for snipers during a joint patrol with Iraqi soldiers in a
commercial district in Baghdad, March 1, 2007. [Reuters]

The plan would retain a Democratic
proposal prohibiting the deployment to Iraq of troops with insufficient rest or
training or who already have served there for more than a year. Under the plan,
such troops could only be sent to Iraq if President Bush waives those standards
and reports to Congress each time.

The proposal is the latest attempt by Democrats to resolve deep divisions
within the party on how far to go to scale back US involvement in Iraq. Rep.
James Moran said the latest version has the support of party leadership and said
he believes it is final and has the best chance at attracting broad support.

"We're going to report out" a war spending bill "that's responsive to the
will of the voters last November and brings our troops home as soon and safely
as possible," Moran, D-Va., said in an interview Thursday.

Moran, a member of the House committee that oversees military spending, said
the plan was discussed in a closed-door meeting of committee Democrats on
Thursday.

Brendan Daly, a spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif., declined
to confirm the details and or say whether Pelosi backs the plan. But he said:
"We have said we want to make sure our troops have all the training and
equipment they need and that the Iraqi government must meet the benchmarks
President Bush endorsed."

Bush said the Iraqis had promised to meet certain goals when he offered to
send 21,500 more troops to Iraq. For example, the Iraqis pledged to spend more
money on reconstruction and reach a political agreement to share the nation's
oil resources.

If the Iraqis fail to live up to their promises, some troops could be left
behind under the Democrats' plan to train Iraqi troops or conduct
counterterrorism missions, Moran said.

Bush requested $93.4 billion for this year's military operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan.

Moran said that as of Thursday, the proposal was on track to add an extra $1
billion to step up efforts in Afghanistan. Money also would be added to improve
health care for veterans and help wounded active-duty troops, as well as provide
relief for hurricane victims.